July 2015 - TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Webhosting/domains
by Bike City 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

Well, I recently threw together some hand-written HTML and slapped it onto a free (and ad-less) webhost. This seemed great at first, regardless of the weird URL. But after lots of other publicity and potential traffic, I've seen it get hacked twice (by a radical Islamic group after the whole host, nothing personal), and lately it's either painfully slow to load or completely down. So, I haven't done this for about a decade and I'm out of the loop. I'm really not willing to suffer any ads, but since our budgeted is obcenely limited for such fluff, does anyone have recommendations? Are there any more reliable ad-free free hosts? (Probably not, for obvious reasons.) Otherwise, how do you guys handle web hosting? How much does it cost? What's a good balance between reliable and affordable? How much is domain registration nowadays? We don't have our 501(c)(3) status yet so we won't get a deal until later this year, by the way. Anyway, please help. It's rough to find time to FTP an update and find the site's down. Thanks, andrea Bike City Recyclery of Fayetteville, Arkansas http://bikecity.uuuq.com/ (hahaha)

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Reusable Repair Checklist Tag
by director 03 May '23

03 May '23

Hey All, We just spent some time and redid the tag we use to track repairs on a bike. I'm sure your shops are similar to ours in that many mechanics of varying skill levels will work on a single bike before it's distributed back to the world for use. This make it challenging to ensure a standard of quality on any given bike leaving the shop. As we fleshed out the tag we realized that it could function loosely as a curriculum. For most mechanics, especially students we suggest starting at the top and working down the list. I've come to realize that no two mechanics will do things in the exact same way, everyone has their own style. We've been suggesting that folks do the first two items in order and then address the rest of the repairs at their discretion. Of course we couldn't put everything on a half page so we had to make compromises. You'll notice as you get closer to the bottom of the tag the categories are a little more broad and don't get into the finer details. We're working on a final check list that will include finer details like checking bearing play, tire wear, fine tune derailleurs and brakes... The final checklist won't hang on the bike but it'll be around the shop and part of our training. Stay tuned for this. We print these double sided, cut them in half and laminate them. We hang them on the handlebars and fill them out with a Sharpie. When the bike is done and gone we clean the Sharpie off with 90% rubbing alcohol and a rag. This allows us to use one tag over and over and over. We've been using these tags for about 2 weeks now and it's been awesome. Communication between mechanics is much clearer and bikes are getting done faster. It's really helped orient Earn-A-Bike students to what needs to be done next on their bike. Anyway if you think it's a good idea feel free to adapt it to your shops needs. -- Ride On! Rich Points http://communitycycles.org Executive Director (c)303-589-0597 (w)720-565-6019 Community Cycles is Boulder's only bike shop dedicated to bike commuting. Find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityCycles

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no boys allowed zine from bikebike?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 28 Sep '18

28 Sep '18

hey all, i'm looking to get in touch with the person who wrote/published the "no boys allowed" zine which was passed out at bikebike in san francisco. it was part of one of the oppression and gender identity issues workshops. we're looking to start a women's night here at community cycles, and i'd like to scan my copy as a pdf and email it to potential volunteers, as well as make some copies to have in the shop... if you're on the list, or if you know the person who wrote it (her name escapes me), please get in touch with me off list... thanks! josh. community cycles boulder

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Instruction for Marginalized Communities: Women on Wheels and Multilingual Nights
by Lauren Warbeck 27 Feb '16

27 Feb '16

Oh HEYYYY again... It's a double email kinda day. 1) Multilingual Nights We're hosting our first ever multilingual nights YAYYYYY! We now have a posse of rad mechanics who are fluent in English, Spanish, French, Cantonese, and Mandarin and we are planning to hold a series of multilingual instruction nights. We're about to have our first sub-committee meeting about how we're going to go about the planning of these nights (ie: Do we have a strictly Spanish night, or a Spanish & French night? What is the role of Anglo mechanics in these nights? What are the underlying needs of these communities beyond language instruction?), but first I wanted to find out if any of you have feedback or resource materials about your own experiences hosting multilingual nights. What did you set out to do? Did it work? What did you learn? 2) Women on Wheels We're in the process of reconsidering the reach and name of our women's night, Women on Wheels. This name has been revisited several times by our collective, and again we're feeling the need for change. Those of you who commit energy to thinking about providing services across the gender/sexuality spectrum...I'm looking for your input. The key challenges for us, (and maybe all of us?) I think, are two-fold: First, it's about holding space for those who adhere to identity politics (tangible and named - Woman, Lesbian, Dyke, sometimes Transwoman etc) while also holding space for folks who exist all along the gender and sexuality spectrum (intangible and variably named - Queer, Tomboi, sometimes Transwoman, Genderqueer, etc ). As in, how do we hold safer space for butch grandmas and trans women and gender queer folks all at once? Is it feasible or possible to hold safer space strictly around gender variance? Or is it presumptuous as fuck to try to lump these diverse communities together? Or reductionist to assume gender experience is the key connecting factor between these individuals (and not race, or class, or ....)? Second, it's about negotiating the instances of inclusion and exclusion that emerge as a result of differing levels of awareness and knowledge around these varied philosophies and ways of identifying. This is the crux of why we've called it Women's Night for so long. While in practice our "women's night" is attended by trans-women, cis-women, femmes, masculine-identified genderqueers, tombois, etc etc, we have continued to call it women's night to make sure that people who aren't familiar with the world of post-modern gender identity know they are welcome, and cis-men know easily and clearly that it is not for them. I guess, to make it legible to mainstream communities, while still welcoming to non-mainstream communities. Meanwhile, we've also had interest from femme-identified cis-men and trans men in having services for masculine-presenting folks or folks who are presumed masculine (which again, is on a really broad spectrum). We're in convo with folks about their needs and wants, but it would also be great to have input from other shops. Where I'm really seeking is input about how your shops are drawing the lines around participation in nights for marginalized communities (including communities bonded around race, ethnicity, ability, etc) and/or how to meld diverse communities in appropriate and supportive ways. I know that Plan B has Ladies, Trans, and Sissies Night, and BICAS has Women, Trans, and Femme night. Where are folks at with their organizing process around this? What are other shops doing? You are all so great. Lauren

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members and sign up database software
by Jesse Cooper 23 Sep '15

23 Sep '15

Hey Folks! So at Our Community Bikes in Vancouver, we're thinking it's time to set up a proper sign in / sign out system, combined with a membership and volunteer database. Ideally we would like to know what software is out there that can track people coming in and using our space, a simple laptop or desktop kiosk where folks can type in info, and it would enter our database. Also to serve as a database that members can register into, and again wherein volunteers can sign up, and log their hours, and tasks accomplished. sooo.. any ideas? Jesse Cooper

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How much time spent on overhauls?
by DCoppley＠intercitytransit.com 05 Aug '15

05 Aug '15

Greetings fellow bicycle enthusiasts and all-around do-gooders, We run an earn-a-bike program, though in our program, which is relatively short in duration, the students receive a used bike which has already been reconditioned. Consequently, I am currently overhauling/refurbishing bikes for use in our fall classes. My question is... how long (# of hrs) do you typically spend on a complete bicycle overhaul? What does it include? Do you always put in new cables/housing, and do BB/headset/hub rebuilds, or just on the extra crunchy bikes? Thanks in advance, David David Coppley Walk n' Roll Program Assistant Intercity Transit 360-705-5817 PO Box 659 Olympia, WA 98501 dcoppley(a)intercitytransit.com<mailto:dcoppley@intercitytransit.com> Find us on Facebook!<https://www.facebook.com/BicycleCommuterContest> [WalkNRoll_HZ_RGB]

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Tips for basement (stairs!) youth bicycle program
by bykecollective 01 Aug '15

01 Aug '15

Hello from Baltimore Youth Kinetic Energy (BYKE)! We are moving to a new and awesome location, but we’ll be in a basement. We might only be there for 1 year, so major renovations aren’t going to happen. I have two main concerns: 1. Stairs(full flight, medium width)+ young people+bikes without brakes -a safe ramp? -has anyone tried building a kinetically powered platform elevator? -has anyone tried to build a track to secure a bicycle into and then let it fall with style? having some kind of slowing mechanism? 2. Ventilation codes -is that for the landlord to figure out? -regardless: were there any cheap and easy ways to increase ventilation? Any other unpredictable lessons learned from those who have held DIY bike workshops in basements? Thanks! Chavi Chavi Rhodes, MPH Baltimore Youth Kinetic Energy Collective bykecollective(a)gmail.com (410) 989-3806 https://www.facebook.com/BYKECollective https://twitter.com/BYKECollective

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Shops in San Antonio, TX
by Joshua Hoffman 31 Jul '15

31 Jul '15

Does anyone know of community bike shop in San Antonio? I'm only aware of the EarnABikeCoop.org.

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Hi to The Bike Collective Think Tank
by Renee Marchol 31 Jul '15

31 Jul '15

Hi Think Tank People on Bikes, Here are 3 fun facts about me: - I am a waffle expert. Belgian waffles with crunchy pearl sugar inside are my fave - Technology Entertainment Journalist while I bike to work. I try to stay on bike even on business trave - My first bike was a Cabbage Patch two-wheeler I have a question for the group. I'm doing part 2 research for a documentary short called Emerging Ebikes of the Pacific Northwest <https://vimeo.com/133631780> What do you think of being a bike passenger on SF trains and busses? It is a snug fit? Frowned upon? Not practical? Does it make a difference if your bike, electric or nonelectric is foldable? Please reply and let me know the terrain of the city commute you are describing. Thanks! Ride on, Filmmaker Renee Marchol of Seattle WA Twitter: @rmarchol -- "Goonies never say die"

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How do I register for the conference in Guadalajara?
by Ashanti 30 Jul '15

30 Jul '15

I've been on the website for months now looking for a registration button and still don't see one. How do I register for the Bike!Bike! 2015 conference in Guadalajara? How does one sign up to do a session, see what sessions are being proposed? How do I find out whether I need to rent a room or not? Where is all the info? I'm lost. -Ashanti

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